The GT Weekend! ~ Ready Week 1

June 5, 2021 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

1) It’s well-known in my house that I win the award for most eclectic music choice. Gregorian chants and undiscovered Indie Christian musicians don’t make my teenager’s Spotify playlist. While I don’t love all their song selections either, my kids’ favorite lyrics have provided an excellent springboard for spiritual discussions. One of my favorite lyrics to chat about with my teens-turning-into-adults are from Maren Morris’ song, “The Bones”, “When the bones are good, the rest don’t matter, Yeah, the paint could peel, the glass could shatter, Let it break ’cause you and I remain the same.” As the words reverberate in my mini-van, I ask my kids what they think will build a strong foundation for life. What “bones” are sturdy enough to support someone in this life and the next? This was Paul’s motivation in sending Timothy to strengthen the church in Thessalonica. If the church believed sound doctrinal truths about God, themselves, and their future, then they would authentically live Ready for now and eternity. Sometimes, the best way to know what we really believe, is to look at how we live. What do your actions, thoughts, and priorities reveal about your true beliefs about God and your purpose on earth?

2) The point of studying Scripture is to know God and understand ourselves in light of who He is and His purposes for us. It’s one thing to read the Bible, but another to study it, pray it, and allow the Spirit of God to transform us through His own words! As humans, intent on being self-made people, our tendency is to take ownership of our own faith journeys. We want to manufacture our own goodness, faith, and ability to love others as God loves us, but this idea stands in direct opposition of the gospel we claim. Only Christ can rescue us from sin. Only Christ can shape our hearts and lives to mirror His own; our mission is surrender and worship. Make space now to pull out your Bible and sit in worshipful surrender to the Lord. He is present and ready to speak to your heart. Listen. When you’re ready, take Briana’s challenge from Wednesday and read 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 several times, praying as you read for the Lord to open your eyes to seeing and knowing Him. Make note of each instance where you see the word “in”. Then spend time praying over these, reading them again, and asking the Lord what truths He wants you to walk in today.

3) Think about the things in your life that are stable, bringing a source of security and comfort. Go ahead and list them out on paper and think about how each one brings you comfort in a unique way. Spend time praising God in specific ways for these sources of stability. Paul wrote his letter to the churches of Thessalonica during a time when their world was spinning with unknowns. There were very few certainties, much fear, and the constant threat of persecution, but Paul urged the believers to drop anchor into what they knew to be absolutely true. Because Paul had deeply invested in knowing God, he could confidently face the tumult around him. To this end, he encouraged his fellow believers to also trust the truths they knew about the Almighty. Unlike our constantly changing circumstances, God and His truths never shift. He has always, and will always, be steadfastly the same. Read 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2 several times this weekend and keep a log on your phone of truths you recognize in just these two chapters. When you feel discouraged, frustrated, or fearful, open this list and be reminded of the God who never changes!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

You yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out.

Prayer Journal
Lord Jesus, sometimes I read of the first century church and I’m completely blown away with amazement at the wonderful things You did through them. I read of incredible boldness and Spirit-led acts of courage as believers set aside everything to follow You whether it was relationships, material possessions, or even their very lives. I admit I tend to amplify them in my mind, forgetting they were also real people like me and like other believers around me. Keep me from falling into the belief trap that You don’t work in the same way now as You did then, keep stirring inside my heart to go deeper in faith with You. Open my eyes and ready my heart to speak with boldness of the ways You’ve worked in my life! Help me to trust that You know exactly who, and how, You want my life to impact another’s with Your hope and love. I pray that was true for the church in Thessalonica will be true of me, “the word of the Lord rang out from you, (…) in every place that your faith in God has gone out.”

Worship Through Community

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Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

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Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Word Day 13 Chosen, Appointed, Loved, Persecuted

May 5, 2021 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 15:9-25
Luke 7:17-30
John 17:13-26
Isaiah 42:1-9

Word, Day 13

The heady scent of roasted lamb mingled with melting wax as the disciples gathered around the low table with Jesus for another Passover feast. Though familiar, something entirely other stirred as Jesus prayed, broke bread, and passed the cup.

They ate, He served them, then, in sweet intimacy, Jesus prayed words of life over His brothers, these chosen ones…

You did not choose me, but I chose you. (John 15:16)

Chosen
When I was eight, a recurring nightmare haunted me for 3 consecutive nights. In vivid detail, I watched a gunman murder me, but then, after multiple nights, I saw Jesus stand in the gap, dying the death intended for me. Jesus chose me to be His. He invited me to believe that, though my sin separated me from the holiness of God, He still chose to rescue me and pay for my sin.

Scripture is bursting with biographies of those God has chosen for Himself. He delights in transforming the ordinary and broken, the shame-filled and forgotten, into lives brimming with hope and purpose.

Abraham, who waited decades for God’s promise to be fulfilled, was chosen.
Isaiah, the most well-known prophet to Israel, was chosen.
Mary, the mother who carried the very Son of God, was chosen.

Each was called out, away from the life they’d once lived, awakened to a new existence and ushered in by the delightful choice of the God who longs for all to call Him Father.

I appointed you to go and produce fruit. (John 15:16)

Appointed
Those who sit with me in conversation long enough to hear my heart know I’ve repeated, “I just want my life to matter.” Maybe it’s that I’m racking up the birthdays, or because my oldest is leaving home. The scenes of my life keep shifting and I wonder over and over, “Does this matter?”

The same love that motivated the heart of God to choose me, also appointed me, and all who accept His invitation. He smiles with pleasure as He intentionally floods each chosen life with purposed appointing. He appointed me to school my kids, gather women to study Scripture, make yummy meals (and some that set off the smoke alarm), and walk alongside my husband.

Here’s the incredibly beautiful thing about being appointed by God. It’s as variegated as African dresses and yet as uniformly connected as the constant elements of our universe.
Your appointment looks different from mine.

Zacchaeus was appointed to give away his possessions.
Levi was appointed to invite his friends to dinner, so he could introduce them to Jesus.
John was appointed to preach a message of repentance in the wilderness.

All who answer God’s calling of being chosen are lovingly appointed to bear fruit for His kingdom. Every fruit, regardless of shape or color, is seeded with love.

This is what I command you: Love one another. (John 15:17)

Loved
We’d been married for seven years and were tanking fast. My husband was pursuing his dream of seminary, and I was fighting demons from my abusive past. In the midst of my self-hatred and spurning of God, my husband announced he was leaving seminary to fight for me. He said he had no plans to return; that I was more important. What manner of love didn’t expect my perfection, but just loved?

No disciple of Jesus escapes His mighty call to allow love to color every aspect of life. Pouring the cereal, changing the diaper, shopping for groceries, arguing with your spouse, listening to a friend, going to church, making coffee.
All of it has been designed as an act of worship, of love.

When Jesus overturned tables, pleading others to know the heart of God, He loved.
When Paul surrendered his position to become an itinerant preacher, he loved.
When Lydia opened her home to missionaries, she loved.

Every one of Christ’s disciples were chosen and appointed to lead lives of lavish love.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

Persecuted
It’s not popular, this dying to self. Strange, isn’t it, that true, authentic, in-the-dirt-with-you love also carries the risk of ridicule. When we stand for the unjustly treated, when we invest in friendships with those of a different skin color, when we invite the trans-gender to dinner, when we sit at the bar with the promiscuous and hear their story, mainstream Christianity pulls back their religious garments in “righteous” outrage.

To follow Jesus is to fling wide the door of persecution, and understand that being chosen, appointed, and loved, means that suffering is worth it.

The faithful eleven who sat around Jesus that Passover night would all be persecuted for their faith. As they championed the kingdom work of spreading the news that God chooses, appoints, and loves, they would feel the knife of persecution.

But none felt it as deeply as Christ Himself.
All who follow Jesus with their whole lives are each chosen, appointed, loved, and persecuted, because Jesus was first.

This (Jesus) is my servant; I (God the Father) strengthen Him,
this is my chosen one; I delight (love) in Him. (Isaiah 42:1)
I will appoint You to be a covenant for the people. (Isaiah 42:6)
He (Jesus) was pierced (persecuted) because of our (humanity’s) rebellion,
crushed because of our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5)

Sister, you, are chosen by the Christ who sacrificed Himself for you.
The God who crafted the color of your eyes has appointed you for good kingdom work.
The Jesus who sat at the Passover feast, sits with you now in the middle of your mess to say you are loved.
This same God knows that following Him results in persecution because it isn’t popular to love like Him. But He promises to fill you with His Spirit, strengthen you, and sing over you, “Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Word Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Word!

Word Day 2 Do You Believe?: Digging Deeper

April 20, 2021 by Lori Meeks 2 Comments

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Do You Believe?!

The Questions

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)

John 4:7-15

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, ⁸because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. ⁹“How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” ¹¹“Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? ¹²You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.” ¹³Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. ¹⁴But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” ¹⁵“Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.” 16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.

Original Intent

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)
Jesus was never one to let a teaching moment pass Him by. During this encounter at the well, He was simply doing what He always did regardless of the audience, engage with love on purpose. He took an everyday situation and flipped it into an impactful lesson for many. Jesus came to destroy the old way of thinking with strict laws as means of coming to God. Ordinary people, like this woman, were easily bogged down with all the rules and had lost focus from the main point of having a relationship with God. Jesus took the opportunity that presented itself in the flow of His normal life, and used the fact that He was physically thirsty, to open this woman’s mind to her own spiritual thirst. First, he spoke directly to her. Men of her culture would have completely ignored her. With His words alone, Jesus demonstrated that He saw her and cared enough to engage in a conversation. Secondly, he guided this woman to understand that even though He had asked her for water, He was offering something far greater, eternal life. Jesus was a risk taker and never allowed cultural norms to stop Him accomplishing His mission and share His message of love with everyone He encountered.

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)
Jesus was a master at teaching in a way that others could relate to and understand. In this story, the woman’s interest is piqued and she asks some clarifying questions. “Where does this water come from?” “Are You saying You are greater than our father Jacob?” As the dialogue continues, understanding begins to dawn on this woman. The water Jesus spoke of wasn’t literal water, but eternal life. For this woman, a known adulteress and public sinner, she initially desired a way out of a daily struggle. Her life choices had resulted in consequences that made her life difficult and shameful. She didn’t want to go to the well each day to get water, she didn’t want the knowing looks, ridicule, and judgement of those who saw her. Ultimately, she comes to understand how this man Jesus is different; He’s even greater than a prophet. In fact, she gets so excited that John 4:28-29 records her leaving her water jug and running back to town to bring others saying, “Could this be the Messiah?!”. For this woman, the realization that she could be free from her past by simply accepting the free gift being offered her in Jesus was life changing!

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)
Jesus is teaching that regardless of being Jew or Samaritan, He welcomes all to trust Him. He isn’t looking for a particular race, gender, or culture, instead He is seeking hearts who will take Him at His word, believe Him, and worship the Father. Culturally at this time, the Jews viewed themselves as superior to the Samaritans. The Jews were God’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham, while the Samaritans were considered less than because they were only half Jewish. The Samaritan race came from marriage between Jews and other races following the Jews’ return from exile. Everyone knew the Messiah would be of Jewish lineage, specifically from the tribe of Judah. This knowledge led the full-blooded Jews to look down on everyone else. While the Samaritan people worshiped God, they did not have the same “inside knowledge” as the Jewish people, in many ways they worshiped a God they did not know or understand. Additionally, the Jewish people believed you could only worship God in Jerusalem, which furthered the divide between these two people groups. Beginning in verse 21, Jesus breaks down that old belief system by saying it doesn’t matter where you worship or who you are, but that “true worshipers” (regardless of their nationality, history, or past) will worship “in Spirit” (a matter of the heart vs. the keeping of the law) and “in truth” (believing Jesus and embracing Him as the promised Messiah). By having this conversation with a Samaritan, who was also a woman, Jesus broke down several cultural stumbling blocks. He came for everyone, even this woman who was currently living in sin and, from all accounts, could never live up the standard of Jewish law.

Everyday Application

1) Being a Jew and knowing the culture, why would Jesus ask this woman for a drink? (verse 9)
There is no question that tensions run high when it comes to race, culture and even our moral belief systems. As much as we’d like to believe these are new things, we learn from this passage that respecting people with different colors of skin or cultural upbringings has been a source of tension since the beginning of time. At first glance, it can be tempting to think of this passage as a good moral lesson with some interesting history, but having little impact on our lives today. In reality, this true narrative is still as relevant today as it was when Jesus first had the conversation. Jesus refused to let the cultural standard or current belief system stop His work of meeting and loving people where they were. He took a risk and talked to someone most people would have avoided. He engaged in a conversation, which included listening to and responding to her questions as well as asking His own. He used a normal daily task, drawing water from a well, to teach, convict, and ultimately change this woman’s life and those around her. Every Christian today needs to follow Jesus’ example. None of us need to look far to find someone different than ourselves, we have look up and see them, be willing to engage in conversations, and look for opportunities to share Jesus’ message. In verse 26 Jesus says, “I am He” (meaning the promised Messiah), we must ask ourselves, just as this woman, do I believe Jesus is who He says He is? If our answer is yes, then we are compelled to share that knowledge with those around us, just like this woman.

2) How does the water Jesus gives keep us from getting thirsty again? (verse 14)
In this story, Jesus gives the woman what she needs instead of what she wants. She is looking for physical water so she wouldn’t need to face the shame of judgement when she comes to the well. Instead of giving her more isolation, Jesus gives her what she really needs, the way to eternal salvation and a transformation so deep it changed her life. Once we come to a place of accepting Jesus for who He is and the salvation He gives, we can stop searching for other things to fill us up; He is enough! You only need to acknowledge and accept Jesus as your Savior one time in sincerity, and He will faithfully rescue you for eternity. The analogy Jesus makes with water and a well doesn’t make as much sense to us today since most of us simply go to the faucet and turn the handle for water. For the people in our story, getting water was a daily chore requiring advance planning. Drawing water meant physically walking a dusty road with a heavy earthen jar. It was something that had to be done day after day after day. Much like following the law of the old covenant, it took repeated effort, day after day, all the while knowing you’d need to do it all again the next day. An unending cycle of trying to live up to an impossible expectation, failing, and working to atone or pay for those failures with the appropriate sacrifice. With Jesus, none of that is required! He has done all the work; all we need is to go to the faucet (Jesus) and turn the handle (pray in faith) that allows the water (eternal life) to flow.

3) What is meant by “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth”? (verses 23-24)
Plain and simple, true worship comes down to the heart. Nothing else matters. Regardless of your skin color, your family’s ancestry, political party, church membership, or anything else, God desires the full worship of our hearts. True worshipers take Jesus at His word, believe He is in fact the Messiah, and did come to save each and every one of us from the deadly consequence of our sins. True worshipers follow Jesus from the heart, because they know it impossible to earn or work their way to salvation. True worshipers live all out for Jesus every single day, not those who simply spin their wheels trying to check all the right boxes. True worshipers have “tasted and seen that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8) and can’t imagine life without Him. We worship God in “Spirit and in truth” by allowing His Spirit living inside of us to teach us as John 16:13 says, “when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth”. The beautiful thing about life with Jesus is that He knows us and loves us for who we are, right here and right now. Even if our words and thoughts are a jumbled-up mess, He knows and sees what is in our hearts; this is what matters!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
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Catch up with Do You Believe?!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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